Canadian securities regulators release report on 2016-2019 Achievements

Montreal - The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) today released two publications: the CSA Business Plan 2016-2019 Achievement Highlights and the CSA Business Plan 2019-2022. Both documents demonstrate the CSA’s commitment to investor protection, fostering fair and efficient capital markets, reducing risks to market integrity, streamlining regulation and effective enforcement.

The CSA Business Plan 2019-2022 sets out the priorities of its members over the course of the next three-year period. This new plan re-affirms the CSA’s commitment to responsive and harmonized regulation at the national level and alignment with international standards, where appropriate. The CSA members have highlighted forty initiatives that continue to address industry participants’ needs and promote market integrity and investor confidence in Canada’s capital markets. 

The new business plan includes projects such as the elimination of undue regulatory burden and the streamlining of regulatory requirements without reducing investor protection or impeding the efficient functioning of capital markets. It also includes projects to better manage the impact of new and emerging technologies and communication tools on Canadian capital markets.

“The initiatives outlined in the 2016-2019 Achievement Highlights demonstrate the collaborative efforts of CSA members to successfully deliver on our objectives. Many of these initiatives, both completed and on-going, have led us to understand, evolve and sharpen our strategic objectives outlined in the CSA Business Plan 2019-2022,” said Louis Morisset, Chair of the CSA and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Autorité des marchés financiers.

As outlined in its CSA Business Plan 2016-2019 Achievement Highlights, the CSA has completed the majority of the planned initiatives and is working towards finalizing the remaining ones in the coming months. The report showcases the strong collaborative work undertaken by CSA members in a rapidly changing and complex financial landscape. As an example, the CSA’s Regulatory Sandbox was created to gain a better understanding of how technology innovations across the country are impacting capital markets, and to assess the scope and nature of regulatory implications and steps required for the modernization of the securities regulatory framework to accommodate fintech and other novel financial products and services. Within its scope of work, the Regulatory Sandbox informs the industry of the CSA’s approach to innovative business models. The Regulatory Sandbox recently published guidance on cryptocurrency offerings and launched a public consultation on a proposed framework for crypto-asset trading platforms. In addition, the Regulatory Sandbox has facilitated the granting of time-limited registrations and exemptive relief to ten firms with innovative business models.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.

Click here to view the CSA Business Plan 2016-2019 Achievement Highlights and the CSA Business Plan 2019-2022.